There are three cases involving uncaught offenders who all:
1. Targeted couples
2. Bound the couples before killing them
And in some instances in some of these cases the offenders:
1. Put a blanket over the bodies of the victims
2. Did night time home invasions awakening victims with a flashlight
3. Wore a hood
4. Did brutal bludgeoning and overkill multiple stabbings
5. Left burnt matches at the crime scene
6. Used nautical/outdoorsman knots or other complex knots
These three cases may be the work of three seperate offenders, and it is possible because of shared MO, evidence and victim type
one of these offenders may have become the Original Night Stalker.
It is also possible these three cases may be the work of one offender, and that is a theory that has been investigated by police and is currently under renewed focus.
This post is about the offender in these cases considered as an UNSUB. The three cases, which share many general and some very specific things in common with the Original Night Stalker (ONS) case, are:
The 1963 Santa Barbara Beach Murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards. The victims were alone on a beach. The attacker tied them with pre-cut rope (most of the ONS victims were bound). They were bound with marline hitches and other "nautical knots" (most of the EAR and ONS victims were bound with nautical type knots). After shooting them, he placed the bodies in a nearby wood shack, the female on top of the male. He cut the females bikini top to expose her breasts. He then covered the victims bodies with a blanket (many of the ONS victims were found covered with a blanket). Burnt wood matches found at the scene indicated a failed attempt to burn the bodies or that they were left as a calling card (burnt wood matches were found at several ONS crime scenes).
These Santa Barbara couples murders happened near Lompoc, not far from the Gaviota Tunnel, just minutes away from Goleta, the site of three future attacks likely done by the ONS.
There is substantial evidence to suggest that the Santa Barbara killer went on to become another California couples murderer, the Zodiac.
The Zodiac Murders 1966 to 1974 The Zodiac Killer is confirmed to have murdered at least 5 individuals, probably killed a total of 9, was suspected by police in about a dozen more and claimed to have killed 37.
On 9/27/69, the Zodiac Killer attacked a couple by the water at Lake Berryessa. He bound them before killing them (similar to many ONS vicitms). The Zodiac wore a hood to cover his face (same as many EAR and ONS attacks). The Zodiac had a gun, knife and pre-cut rope (same as many EAR and ONS attacks).
On 3/22/70 the Zodiac abducted a woman named Kathleen Johns. Ms. Johns escaped. Zodiac then burned her car (burnt wood matches were found at many ONS crime scenes).
Many probable and possible Zodiac victims in Sonoma County and Northern California were bound with nautical or other complex knots (same as many ONS victims).
In the possible Zodiac crimes of the murders of Judith Hakari and Nancy Bennallack, the killer did night time home invasions in Sacramento (the same MO and area of the EAR, who we know through DNA results became the ONS).
At the scene of the October 30, 1966 murder of Cheri Jo Bates in Riverside, CA, a probable Zodiac crime, police found a cryptic and morbid poem identified by handwriting as written by the Zodiac, and the Zodiac later sent letters to the police and media (the EAR sent a cryptic and morbid poem to police and media). The Zodiac also made taunting phone calls and letters to victims and their family (EAR also made taunting phone calls to victims).
The Zodiac was known to do murders and mailings on the anniversary dates of other murders and mailings. The ONS murder of Lyman and Charlene Smith on March 13, 1980 was the ten year anniversary of the murder of possible Zodiac victim Marie Antoinette Anstey on March 13, 1970 and the nine year anniversary of the Zodiac letter to the LA Times on March 13, 1971.
The September 1966 Midwest Murders of Valerie Percy and the Bricca Family The night time home invasion murder of Valerie Percy took place in Kenilworth, Illinois on September 18, 1966. Valerie Percy was the daughter of Charles Percy, the CEO of Bell & Howell, a leading manufacturer of cameras and business equipment. Mr. Percy was then the Republican nominee for the US Senate. He went on to win the election.
The killer had a flashlight and entered the home by cutting glass. Valerie was stabbed 12 to 14 times and bludgeoned with a hammer like object in the head. The tragic case remains unsolved.
A case long thought to be possibly related to the Percy murder happened just a week later and four hours away, September 25 -27, 1966, in the Cincinnati suburbs. It was a brutal home invasion murder of Monsanto chemical engineer and father Jerry Bricca, mother Linda Bricca and daughter Debbie Bricca, all bound and fatally stabbed multiple times. They were bound with items from the house.
There is evidence Valerie Percy knew Linda Bricca - a neighbor named Dick Meyer said right before she was killed Linda remarked that she knew Valerie and was upset by her death. Both women grew up in the wealthy Chicago suburbs and had fathers who owned manufacturing companies. Both Valerie Percy and the Bricca Family were the victims of night time home invasion murders in their Midwest suburban bedrooms.
The MO matches between the EAR/ONS and the killer of Valerie Percy include sometime targeting lone females, entry into house at night, awakening victim with flashlight in their eyes, stabbing, brutal bludgeoning to face of victim.
The MO matches between the EAR/ONS and the killer of the Bricca family include targeting of couples, entry into home at night, attack in the bedroom, BINDING THE COUPLE WITH OBJECTS FOUND IN THE HOME, brutal overkill murders, killer makes himself at home in the house, drawers are pulled but nothing of value taken, victims live in upscale suburban neighborhood, victims often work in the business and/or high tech worlds.
WHILE THESE COULD BE THE WORK OF THREE SEPERATE OFFENDERS, THERE IS EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST ALL THREE - SANTA BARBARA, ZODIAC KILLER AND THE MURDERS OF PERCY/BRICCA - COULD BE THE WORK OF ONE MAN
THE POSSIBLE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE 1963 SANTA BARBARA BEACH MURDERS OF DOMINGOS AND EDWARDS AND THE ZODIAC KILLER There are many similarities between the Santa Barbara beach murders of Domingos and Edwards in June 1963 and the Zodiac Killer attack at Lake Berryessa in September 1969.
* In both murders we have as victims a male - female couple on a blanket by the water
* In both the attacker has a gun, knife and pre-cut rope
* In both the attacker orders female to tie male, then binds them both.
* In both it was apparently a random motiveless attack, no robbery or theft
* And like the Zodiac Killer attack on 12/20/68 at Lake Herman Road, a victim is shot in the back while running away.
* Also the exact same ammo was used at Santa Barbara 1963 and Zodiac attack on Lake Herman Road on 12/20/68 - .22 Winchester Western Super X, six right hand twists and grooves, indicating the same model of gun was used, and perhaps even the exact same weapon.
* Complex nautical knots were used at Santa Barbara 1963 and also at some of the possible Zodiac crimes in Sonoma County and Northern California.
* Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department Detective Bill Baker and San Francisco Police Department Inspector Bill Armstrong were among many in law enforcement who felt that the 1963 Santa Barbara murders were the work of the Zodiac.
THE POSSIBLE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE 1963 SANTA BARBARA BEACH MURDERS OF DOMINGOS AND EDWARDS AND THE ORIGINAL NIGHT STALKERSimilarities between the Santa Barbara beach attack in 1963 and many of the crimes of the Original Night Stalker include:
* Attacker ordering the female to tie the male, then binds them both.
* The killer used complex nautical knots.
* The killer put blanket over the bodies or faces of the victims.
* The killer leaves burnt wood matches at the scene.
* At Santa Barbara the victims were put inside a wood shack; the ONS beat one couple to death with a wood log, and a wood chip fell or was placed between the legs of another female victim.
THE POSSIBLE CONNECTION BETWEEN ZODIAC AND THE ORIGINAL NIGHT STALKER The Zodiac has long been mentioned by writers and investigators of the Original Night Stalker (ONS) as a possible suspect.
* Both sometimes attacked lone females, but both usually killed male/female couples.
* Both used a flashlight to blind their victims, had gun/knife/pre-cut lengths of rope, ordered the female to tie the male, sometimes wore a hood, targeted mostly middle class suburban areas.
* In many of the probable Zodiac crimes in Sonoma County and Northern California, complex nautical knots were used to bind victims, similar to those used by the EAR/ONS.
* Both wore military clothes/boots/shoes, were never caught, exhibited high intelligence and planning, played games with the police and media, wrote letters to the media and wrote cryptic morbid poems.
SUSPECT SKETCHES
SANTA BARBARA COUPLES MURDERER 1963
PERCY AND BRICCA SUSPECT 1966
ZODIAC KILLER SAN FRANCISCO 1969 
You can see that on the basis of the suspect sketches it cannot be ruled out that they are all one man. For Santa Barbara, Percy/Bricca, Zodiac and EAR/ONS, the basic physical description of the suspects in all of these cases MATCHES - 5'8' - 5'10" tall, 150 to 170 pounds, dirty sandy blonde to light brown hair (slight reddish tinge), thin but wiry and athletic build, size 9 1/2 to 10 1/2 shoe print, blue eyes, large hawk like nose, almond shaped eyes, thin elongated upper lip, prominent jaw, jutting chin, wears sneakers/military shoes/military boots, often wears plaid or checkered pattern shirts, wears military jacket, ties nautical knots, ties victims with pre cut rope or shoelaces, sometimes wears black reading glasses as a disguise.
The ages generally fit as well - with the Santa Barbara killer described as 18 to 25 in 1963, the Percy murder suspect as 18 to 25 in 1966, the Zodiac as 25 to 35 in 1969 and the Original Night Stalker as 28 to 35 in the late seventies.
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Sat Mar 13, 2010 12:18 pm
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